Firebrand (Gargoyle's Quest)
Firebrand is a fictional character who appears in the Ghosts 'n Goblins series of run and gun platformer games. He is a independent Red Arremer who starred in his own spinoff trilogy. He will stand up to any threat posed to his home, the Demon Village, without any fear. Firebrand is considered to be an elite warrior among the Red Arremers, gaining him hero status among his peers and nicknamed Red Blaze due to his bright red skin and prowess with fiery magic. Story ''Gargoyle's Quest II ''Gargoyle's Quest II is the first game chronologically in the entire Ghosts 'n Goblins series, even taking place before its immediate predecessor, Gargoyle's Quest. Firebrand is training in Etruria, his own village, ruled by King Morock. One day, while doing practice in the town's training center, a sinister black light covers Etruria. From the darkness emerges an army of destroyers, wiping out most of the villagers and leaving Morock badly wounded. Firebrand is ordered by him to report these events to the ruling king of the Makai at once, dying shortly after. Firebrand goes through a painstaking journey to get to the palace of the king, slowly gaining new powers and abilities. On the way, he meets Hecate, a fallen angel of the night, who tells him that the black light is a manifestation of a demon called Breager's mind, and gives Firebrand her own wings as a catalyst to empower his own. When he finally arrives, most of the townsfolk are bewitched under an imposter posing as the king. Firebrand slays the imposter, who recognizes him as Red Blaze just before dying. After these events, Firebrand releases the seal of the real king on top of Mount Imaus, a truly dangerous place. The king informs Firebrand that the one behind the black light is indeed Breager, who is being summoned into the realm from a dimension unknown by Goza, his lieutenant. But they don't have enough information about the evil king. Firebrand is sent in search of Lethe, a sage that is said to be the oldest inhabitant of Makai. Firebrand enters the labyrinth where Lethe resides, conquers himself and gains the right to meet Lethe. He is told of an old legend that speaks of Firebrand's heritage. Only the fully unleashed power of Red Blaze's blood can truly stop the coming of the king of destruction. With the help of the now king Lucifer, his queen Verona, and Lethe himself, Firebrand breaks the barrier to Breager's palace, surrounded by overflowing black light. Firebrand breaks through the castle's defenses and destroys Goza, only to be told that Breager has already entered this dimension. Firebrand is helped by a patron deity of the Makai, Demogorgon, and fully awakens to his blood's heritage. Firebrand finds Breager in the throne room, and destroys him before he regains his full power. Firebrand's true power then explodes, setting the whole of Makai on fire, dissolving Breager's black light and somehow scorching to death only the foreign destroyers. The king praises Firebrand for wiping out the entire threat by himself, and Firebrand is sent to oversee the recently born human race in the mortal world, with permission to stay and rule if he wants to. However, Breager has not been truly destroyed, as Firebrand thought. ''Gargoyle's Quest Despite not having completed his current mission in the mortal world, Firebrand was called back to Makai to embark on a journey to stop the menace of the undead king of destruction, Breager, who had returned while he was away. Breager had been plotting to overtake the whole realm of the Makai from the ruling monarchy using his endless minions controlled by the evil king's psychic power, letting everyone believe he had been destroyed. As Firebrand collected mystical artifacts while approaching Breager's keep, his powers continued to develop, making him stronger than ever before. However, to unleash his true potential, he needed the Eternal Candle that Lucifer had; after a battle to prove his worth, Firebrand receives the candle from Lucifer, unsealing the secrets to master arcane dark fire magic none of his kind could ever achieve. After discovering his heritage, Firebrand finally confronts Breager, slaying the evil king as he promises vengeance. The king of the Makai is then released from Breager's seal, wiping out the evil king's whole army. As a reward, Firebrand is sent once more to the mortal world, and is told that he can try conquering it if he wants. Demon's Crest Firebrand fought with all the other demons for the Six Crests, granters of unspeakable power for their owners, that fell from the sky. He was successful and obtained all of the Crests - however, Phalanx, current ruler of the Ghoul Realm, took the opportunity he saw in the critically wounded Firebrand and took all the Crests for himself, planning on ruling over both Ghoul and Human Realm. Firebrand was imprisoned in the Colosseum, forced to fight for his life and unexpected to survive. However, Firebrand managed to destroy Somulo, the zombie dragon thrown against him in the Colosseum, and escaped. He was quickly thwarted by Phalanx's General, Arma, who would come to respect Firebrand's strength in their following matches while Firebrand searched for the crests to avenge himself. In one of the game's endings, before the final battle, Phalanx says Firebrand fought with him and begged for mercy "a thousand years ago". In another, considered the "true" ending, Firebrand, in possession of the Infinity Crest, travels to the Human Realm and slays the Dark Demon who had lurked deep within the neighbor-realm (there are absolutely no details on the Dark Demon - little can be speculated except that he should be such a monstrously powerful demon that Firebrand only felt confident facing him after he had the 7th crest in his possession). Even when he had the power to rule supreme over the Ghoul Realm with all the crests, Firebrand refused, considering the choice to be a "simple task". In the end, Firebrand disposed of all the crests in the Human Realm, and traveled back to the Ghoul Realm in hopes of finding a true warrior, someone with whom he could once again taste the glory of battle. Abilities In ''Gargoyle's Quest II, chronologically the start of his adventures, Firebrand has the power to fly but can only do so for a short period of time. He also has a wall climb known as Hell Climb. Later, he acquires the ability to breathe fire. In the game Demon's Crest, Firebrand has access to five different forms besides his normal appearance. He gains these forms by collecting crests. *'Earth' - In this form, Firebrand cannot fly. However, he gains the ability to dash and destroy obstructions in his path. He also can emit a strong breath attack that turns into an energy wave as soon as it touches the ground. *'Aerial' - In this form, Firebrand's wings are much stronger, so he can fly without problems, even in strong gusts. His legs, however, are fragile, so he cannot cling to walls as he normally can. His breath attack is a powerful air blade that kills enemies. *'Tidal' - Obviously stronger in the water, this form does not measure up nearly as well on dry land. *'Legendary' - While in this form, Firebrand has control over time and can return to his former state years before the game starts. His skin is harder, withstanding more attacks and his breath now usually kills lesser enemies with one shot. *'Ultimate' - A composite of Earth, Aerial, Tidal and Legendary all in one, the Ultimate form also comes with a chargeable breath attack. Other Appearances Firebrand appeared in SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos as a secret boss. The Red Arremer Joker from Namco ✕ Capcom is heavily implied to be Firebrand, possessing a noble warrior attitude, being loyal to Astaroth, and making numerous references to a long-passed "War of the Crest". Eventually in Chapter 41, the Joker is outright confirmed as being the "hero" of said war. Firebrand appeared as a playable character in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. He is representing the Ghosts 'n Goblins series along with Arthur. He returned in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. Trivia *When Demitri use his Midnight Bliss on Firebrand in SVC Chaos, the latter's transformation is a young woman in a red bodysuit with blue boots and gloves that is equipped with a tail. Gallery For more of this character, see their gallery. External Link *[http://infinity.awardspace.us/ Infinity - A Red Arremer Shrine] Category:Ghosts'n Goblins characters Category:Male video game characters Category:Capcom protagonists Category:Marvel vs. Capcom fighters Category:Fictional demons Category:Fictional gargoyles Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1990